"I feel the primary track for the PACS System Administrator is broader hospital systems management (HIS, ED, Billing, etc), any hospital system. There is a secondary career path in Radiology administration and possibly into hospital administration IF the SA has some formal Radiology education, a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Radiology or Business Administration or Hospital Administration. It would be difficult for a PACS SA to go the Radiology management route without the educational background or at least prior Radiology management experience.

Being a PACS SA helped me in the following ways.

1. I understood the entire Radiology workflow as well as (or better than) anyone else in the department.
   1. I had to know the workflow of every piece of paper, technologist, radiologists, secretary, clerk, and the hospital systems that touched Radiology/PACS or Radiology operations.
2. I had the opportunity to interact with Radiology, Surgery, Nursing, Referring MDs, the ED, ICU, Senior Administration, etc.
   1. I had established positive relationships with the user community.
3. I was involved with budgetary projections for RIS/PACS.
4. Being a (good) PACS SA forces you to be in constant problem-solving mode as well as strategic forward thinking.
5. A good PACS SA will stay current in Radiology technology, whether it is RIS/PACS or modalities that touch the RIS/PACS.

Documented PACS training and certification of PACS SAs is becoming increasingly important in the hiring process. We are learning that previous PACS experience doesn't guarantee the quality of the applicant. Training at least provides a better level of assurance that the applicant understands basic concepts. Documented PACS training and PACS certification can also be used as a screening tool to weed out those applicants without it."

"I see a number of direct and secondary career opportunities for experienced "PACS Operators". The world of medical imaging will continue to grow for at least another 20 years. Radiology PACS has not been universally adopted so there are still plenty of opportunities there. Cardiology PACS is really starting to take off offering more opportunities. The next big thing is Lab PACS. It will bring more opportunities. Then there will be the move to integrate (the PACS of) these specialties in keeping with the current trend towards RIS-PACS integration. It's obvious that achieving market maturity will take quite a few years so we're clearly in a strong growth market. I can say without question that my background and credentials in PACS had a significant positive impact in my getting this job (as well as my last job). In fact my last promotion was a direct result of my experience and successes as a PACS System Administrator. The operational experience from the clinical and business side of the hospital were priceless and the extensive relationship with IT that PACS requires provides PACS professionals with very diverse experience that few other positions can offer. In my case I parlayed that knowledge and the relationships into a promotion. Others will surely do so as well. I strongly encourage any professional who is motivated by opportunity and career growth to seek progressive training and certification opportunities. These things are good for the individual, good for the patient and ultimately will be good for our industry. Our over-arching goal is to have a robust industry that performs at a high level in support of the delivery of high quality care to our patients. Professional development such as CPAS / CPIA / CPAS / CPSM certifications directly support that goal."